The present invention relates generally to semiconductor devices and, more particularly, to improved shielding for semiconductor devices.
One type of semiconductor devices uses lead frames having leads that are electrically connected to the integrated circuit die with bond wires. The leads are used to transmit signals to/from the integrated circuit. Adjacent signal leads may couple to one another. This is referred to as “crosstalk” or “cross-coupling,” where variations in one signal can affect amplitudes of nearby signals. In order to reduce the coupling between two signals, a ground shield may be provided between the leads.
In semiconductor packages that have only a few leads (e.g., 6-10), portions of the lead frame flag (a.k.a. die paddle) may be cut in order to provide a ground shield. However, this approach is not practical for semiconductor packages with a large number of leads. Another approach is to connect every other lead to ground to avoid coupling. However, this limits the number of leads that may be used to carry signals. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to be able to shield signals of devices with many leads.